Zurlo secures victory

Saratoga County Republicans have chosen Michael Zurlo as their candidate to replace James Bowen as sheriff.

The county Board of Elections on Wednesday completed counting absentee ballots in the GOP primary race, which Zurlo won over Jeff Gildersleeve 6,542 to 6,001, according to the board.

“I am thankful for the confidence Republican voters gave me to lead as their candidate for Saratoga County Sheriff,” a triumphant Zurlo said in a statement. “I look forward to working together as a team and hope we can unify as Republicans moving forward to the November election.”

Gildersleeve conceded in a separate statement in which he thanked supporters and congratulated Zurlo. He stopped short of endorsing him.

“As a first-time candidate, I learned a great deal about the electoral process and the amount of work that goes into running for office,” Gildersleeve said. “I will be watching with great interest to see that the sheriff’s department of tomorrow performs at the high level that residents of Saratoga County deserve.”

Zurlo now moves to the general election as the nominee of the Independence and Republican parties, a powerful position to be in. He will face not only Conservative candidate Phil Lindsey, who is backed by Democrats, but also Jason Longton Jr., an independent candidate who collected petitions by himself to get his name on the ballot.

The races for highway superintendent in Galway and Hadley were not decided by 1 p.m. Wednesday.